Old Friends, Old Problems
by Miss Mysty
Summary: A woman Hiroki knew from college is now working at M University, and life just got that much more complicated for the poor literature professor. Egoist with cameos from the other couples.
1. Hiroki's Graduation Confession

Prologue: Hiroki's Graduation Confession

It was a warm, spring day when Kamijou Hiroki graduated from college. Even though he had at least another four years ahead of him for his doctorate, he was practically being forced to celebrate with the few friends he had made. His real friend, Akihiko, had long-since disappeared. Then again, he had seen Aikawa-san lurking around, looking pissed-off, so he probably had a deadline to run screaming from.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a second," Hiroki told them as they headed for the subway. They planned to be plastered, so there was no way any of them were driving. One of them stopped and smiled, and Hiroki had about two seconds before he was hugged from behind.

"Congratulations, Hiro-san," Nowaki said into his ear. Hiroki blushed; with how many jobs Nowaki still had, he hadn't expected to see his lover's grinning face when he scanned the audience. But of course he'd rearrange his schedule for 'his Hiro-san.' And of course, out of all the seats set out for T University's graduation ceremony, he sat beside Hiroki's mother and father. It had only been a few months, so he hadn't gotten around to telling his parents.

He couldn't help but melt into Nowaki's arms, though. "Thank you, Nowaki." He closed his eyes and laid his head against Nowaki's chest. "I guess we'll both be in school after vacation."

"Your parents want you to spend time at home," Nowaki said.

Hiroki froze, and then he jerked his head around, trying to locate his wayward parents. "You talked to them?"

"Your mother asked who I was here for," Nowaki said like it was no big deal. "Of course I answered my lover, and pointed you out." Hiroki looked ready to explode. "Did I do something wrong, Hiro-san?"

"Hey, Kamijou-kun! The subway is leaving soon!" His friends had waited for him the entire time. Or, a couple of them, anyway. The one woman in their group wasn't there, but then, she had never been a patient person. She had been part of their group from the start, and even stayed when she switched to an Economics major, saying Literature wasn't concrete enough for her.

Hiroki managed to pry himself from Nowaki's arms. "I'll be home around midnight," he muttered, ducking his head. Nowaki smiled, understanding the implications. "Don't look so happy, brat." But he handed his diploma off to him before making a break for it. His parents had finally emerged from the crowd, and he wasn't ready to deal with them just yet.

His friends grinned and threw their arms around his shoulders as they walked to the station. "Oh Hiro-san, you're so cute," one of them cooed, a stupid grin on his face.

"If you call me that again I'll kill you." No one ever said Kamijou Hiroki was a subtle man.

"What? Cute, or Hiro-san?"

"Either!"

The two men laughed, which just pissed Hiroki off more. "But it's so adorable!" the other said. "Who would've thought there was someone who could melt Kamijou's cold heart?" They let go of him when they got to the station, and only Hiroki seemed to notice their other friend was still there, sitting outside on a bench.

She looked up abruptly, making Hiroki jump. "Kamijou!" she said. "Can I talk to you?"

The other two men eyed him but went ahead to buy their tickets.

"Sazanami-san?" he asked. The woman had a serious look on her face, one that could give Hiroki a run for his money.

"Could you call me Keiko?" she asked suddenly, and Hiroki looked exceedingly uncomfortable. "We've known each other for four years, after all."

"Yeah, but-"

"It's just, now that we've graduated, I thought…" She was blushing, something Hiroki had never seen on her. Sazanami was a very confident woman. "Would you, go out with me, Kamijou-kun? I know you have graduate school and all that, and I'd be willing to work around it."

Hiroki was even more uncomfortable, although he did vaguely remember that Sazanami had never met Nowaki. The one time Hiroki had brought Nowaki drinking with him and his friends, the day they had all finished their thesis, she hadn't been there. She had some things left to do, a consequence of no longer sharing the same classes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Hiroki said, refusing to look his friend in the eye.

Sazanami, for all the work and courage she had put into getting to the point where she could ask Hiroki out, deflated without protest. "O-okay," she said. She bowed her head. "Good luck with graduate school, Kamijou-kun. Maybe we'll work together, some day? I do plan to go on with my degree, after I earn some money."

Hiroki couldn't say anymore. The only other time he had felt so awkward in his life was when he officially introduced Nowaki to Akihiko. That had been the quietest meal he'd ever had with his old friend; usually they talked about books, or Akihiko's writing, but the entire time had been spent with them both taking quick glances, both at each other and Nowaki.

Sazanami wasn't the kind of woman to cry in public, so she just took a large sniff, her nose sounding stuffed, before standing up. "Are you still going drinking?"

"…I don't think so," Hiroki said. "If I'm lucky, my… lover, is home by now, and didn't get dragged along with my parents."

Sazanami nodded. "I didn't know you had a lover."

"Well, I can understand why you wouldn't, but if you listened to those two idiots occasionally you would've known."

The woman flinched but nodded. "Well. Good luck, Kamijou-kun." She bowed and disappeared down into the subway station.

Hiroki had almost forgotten about her. After all, after she left him that day with a smile and a bow, he hadn't seen her again, even in passing. So, seven years later when he was looking at the names of the new professors and assistant professors hired at M University, he didn't know what he was in for.


	2. Hiroki's Day Goes From Good To Bad

Chapter 1: Hiroki's Day Goes From Good To Bad

It was the first day of the new school year, and Hiroki woke up in an oddly good mood. It might've been that Nowaki had the day off from both the hospital and the flower shop for the first time in two weeks, and therefore he could smell breakfast cooking. And he actually managed to wake up at a decent hour, so he, in theory, had time to eat it.

Of course, he was obligated to have a sour look on his face when he finally emerged from the bedroom.

"What are you making?" he said, eying the stove.

"American-style breakfast, Hiro-san," Nowaki said. "I had this all the time when I studied there. Pancakes, eggs, potatoes, sausage."

Hiroki made a face; he couldn't remember the last time he ate red meat. It just wasn't part of his diet. But Nowaki looked so excited about it, so he couldn't say no. And Hiroki's mother _was_ always saying he needed to put some meat on his bones.

He frowned, though, glancing at his watch. "Nowaki, could you pack mine? I should probably be in early." Nowaki would never tell him, but Hiroki knew he was sad that they couldn't eat together. "…if you make lunch, we can eat together then. I don't have any classes between eleven and two right now."

Nowaki brightened at that. "Okay, Hiro-san!" He nodded and started taking out a disposable plate and utensils that he could use at the university. Hiroki knew Miyagi would probably make fun of him, but he supposed it was only fair, after how many times he made fun of the bento boxes that his senior professor brought in, made 'with love' from the teenager he was screwing.

It was, Hiroki decided as he reached up to tie his tie, something that was better left not thought about.

Before he knew it, though, Nowaki had taken the tie in his own hands. "I'll do that for you, Hiro-san," he said with a smile on his face. Hiroki wanted to protest; after all, he had been wearing a tie almost every day for several years now, and he certainly knew how to do it himself. But once the tie was in place, Nowaki leaned down and kissed him.

Hiroki was willing to give him this, at least. And maybe more, if Miyagi wasn't in the office during lunchtime.

Nowaki placed a paper plate of food, covered in plastic wrap, in his hands before stepping away. "Have a good day, Hiro-san."

Hiroki, for all intents and purposes, was speechless. So he just nodded, knowing that Nowaki was watching him as he slipped on his shoes and grabbed his coat at the door.

xxx

Students were bustling around the grounds of M University as Hiroki walked through. Some of them, most likely ones that had a class with him in the past, moved out of the way. He wasn't even glaring as he usually did. Maybe his neutral expression was freaking them out.

"Hiroki!" Professor Miyagi looked overjoyed to see him even though it had only been a week. Hiroki avoided a bear hug from the older man and sat his still-warm breakfast down on his own desk. "Ooh, what'd you bring me?"

"Touch my breakfast and you'll have one less hand to lay on the dean's son, professor," Hiroki warned.

Miyagi immediately withdrew his hand from the plate. He didn't even have a witty response to that like he usually would have.

"Have you seen some of the newbies?" Miyagi said as Hiroki turned on his computer.

"Haven't been paying attention, professor."

"Aw, there's a cutie in the Economics department. Almost as cute as you, 'Hiro-san.'" He ducked as Hiroki threw a manila folder at him.

Miyagi seemed preoccupied with their open office door, though. Hiroki glanced to it as he unwrapped his breakfast. It was a woman, dressed sharply with a navy-blue skirt suit and her hair in a severe bun. But her face didn't look nearly as intimidating as the rest of her.

"I'm afraid I'm lost," she said. "I… was supposed to teach a class starting ten minutes ago."

Miyagi was more than eager to stand up, but Hiroki made it to the door before his senior professor. "I don't trust you, Miyagi," he said. "I'll show you the way. What classroom are you looking for?"

"Ah, the uh, west wing? 34A," the woman said.

Hiroki glanced at the woman, startled. "How the hell did you end up all the way over here?"

"I suppose I was too stubborn to recognize that I was lost," the woman mused.

"Good morning, Kamijou-sensei!" a girl said as they passed.

"Good morning, Futari-san."

"How's Kusama-san?"

"Get to class, Futari-san."

"How does that student know your lover's name?"

Hiroki jumped in surprise when he realized Miyagi had followed them.

"I don't know, but every time she asks that it pisses me off," Hiroki said, his eye twitching.

"Aw, Hiroki; loosen up a bit." Miyagi grinned and draped his arms around Hiroki's shoulders from behind, as Nowaki liked doing. When Miyagi did it, though, it just pissed him off.

"How many times do I have to threaten a sexual harassment suit, professor?" he said, pushing the man away.

Miyagi looked like a kicked puppy. "Can't I at least have some of your potatoes? That lover of yours always knows how to cook things just right."

"It only impresses you because your brat force-feeds you burnt cabbage." But Miyagi was still giving him a pleading look, and Hiroki had better things to do. "Fine, whatever." Miyagi grinned and hightailed it back to their office.

"…you're still taken, Kamijou-san," the woman said. Hiroki looked confused. "I told you we'd work together some day."

"Sazanami-san." There was no question in Hiroki's voice.

The woman smiled. "It's good that you have a girlfriend that cooks and packs breakfast for you."

Hiroki shook his head. He had been with Nowaki for seven years; it was longer than many marriages. But then he remembered the look on his old friend's face when he rejected her.

"I guess," Hiroki said. They finally approached Sazanami's classroom, and students were starting to leave. Sazanami looked like she didn't know what to do, but Hiroki went straight into demon mode.

"Hey brats, get back to your seats!" he barked. The students jumped in surprise. "Your professor's here, have some respect!" Every single student was back in their seats in a flash. Rumors of Kamijou the Devil passed even outside the Literature department, it seemed.

He vaguely recognized an old student of his, the one that was apparently living with Akihiko. He seemed to be the most terrified of them all. It wasn't like Hiroki could blame him, with how many pieces of chalk have been aimed at his head the previous year.

"You're still amazing, Kamijou-kun," she said. She was smiling in a sincere way. Then again, Hiroki thought, that was always how she smiled. "Are you… free for lunch? I'd love to catch up."

His eyes averted to the wall again. "I already told my lover we'd eat together, since I took breakfast to go this morning."

"I'd love to meet her!" And just like that, Sazanami was joining them for lunch. Hiroki would've been more worried about it if he hadn't realized he had his own class to fling objects at in ten minutes.

And when he got back to his office, the good mood he had woken up in that morning disappeared. Miyagi had eaten his entire breakfast and wasn't even around to receive his punishment.

It was a good thing students now went into his classes expecting to be terrified of him.


	3. Hiroki Has Some Explaining To Do

Chapter 2: Hiroki Has Some Explaining to Do

Hiroki was in a stalemate.

"You've never taken this long to make a move, Kamijou-san," Sazanami said, staring down at the chessboard. She had brought it in to Hiroki and Miyagi's office, reasoning that they had time to start a game. Hiroki was so concentrated on every move, though, that it was almost noon and only a few pieces had been moved between them. Miyagi had long-since abandoned the work that he was getting ready to throw on Hiroki anyway and was sitting to the side, staring down at the board.

He didn't play chess, mind. He just liked making it look like he did. That and he found Hiroki's look of total concentration amusing.

"We used to play all the time in college," Sazanami said after Hiroki grudgingly explained to Miyagi that they knew each other. "Mostly him and me, although sometimes Nakamura-san or Sakamoto-san played. They usually didn't have the patience."

"You'll have to tell me your secret," Miyagi said as Hiroki continued staring down at the board, over-thinking his move. "The only other thing I've seen him concentrate so hard on is a good book."

"I do most of your work, professor," Hiroki muttered, finally moving one of his pawns.

"Gotta make you work somewhere," Miyagi said, putting a hand to his chin. "You don't cook, you don't even do much in bed."

Miyagi should've seen it coming when the pawn Hiroki had just moved was flung at his head.

"My sex life is none of your business!" he said, his face utterly red.

"Ah, so you admit it. I was just guessing," Miyagi said in a satisfied voice.

"What's your lover like, anyway?" Sazanami asked after she placed Hiroki's pawn back in the proper square.

Hiroki and Miyagi glanced at each other, and it was Miyagi that spoke first. "Tall."

"Taller than me?" Sazanami asked, getting ready to move one of her knights.

"Taller than _me_," Hiroki said, annoyed. It wasn't like Nowaki could help his height or anything, but both Miyagi and Akihiko were constantly teasing him about his giant of a boyfriend. "Pediatrician. Loves kids."

"Unlike you?"

"Have you seen him with his classes?" Miyagi said, rubbing the spot on his forehead where the pawn had hit. "He's so abusive. You're so mean, Hiro-san." He flailed dramatically, looking like he was going to cry. His efforts were rewarded with another pawn to the head.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Hiroki growled and put his concentration back on the board, even though it was still Sazanami's move.

"But it's so cute when Kusama-san does it," Miyagi said, grinning.

"He-" Sazanami started, then stopped herself. Miyagi stared at her. "He actually lets someone call him by his first name? All through college it was 'Kamijou-san, Kamijou-san!' If I or one of the guys called him Hiroki he'd freak out."

"Where is Kusama-san, by the way?" Miyagi said, watching Sazanami's hand as she finally made her move. "You're usually out of here by now when you two have lunch together."

Hiroki's eye visibly twitched, and he took his glasses off to squeeze the bridge of his nose. "That's because if I wasn't gone before Nowaki arrived, you'd dump your work on me and I'd have to skip lunch."

Sazanami twitched, just visibly enough for Hiroki to notice. She didn't say anything, though.

Just as Hiroki was wondering where his lover was himself, though, his phone went off. It was his move and he didn't take his eyes from the board until he realized that it was a text, not an actual call.

_Hiro-san- There was an accident, and I've been called into the hospital to help. I'm very sorry._

He read the text through about three times before closing his phone and letting his head fall to the table, looking frustrated.

"Nowaki was called-in to the hospital," he said. He looked utterly disappointed as he put his phone away.

"Aw, did Kusama-san abandon you? My poor honey," Miyagi said, trapping Hiroki in a hug. "I'll take you out. We can have udon."

"Professor Miyagi, are you gay?" Sazanami suddenly asked.

"Nope."

Hiroki had been pushing his senior professor away, and when he said that, the younger man started laughing. "Yeah, as straight as the dick you shove up that brat's ass," he said.

"I am!"

"I do not think that word means what you think it means, professor," he said before finally shoving the older man away.

Miyagi sulked away and lurked at his desk, giving Hiroki the stink-eye. Hiroki was used to this, though, so it didn't bother him. Sazanami, on the other hand, looked somewhat disturbed.

They sat there in an awkward silence for a while, until Miyagi shot back with the supremely clever, "You're not straight either, Kamijou."

"What does that have to do with you screwing the dean's son?" Hiroki was quick to retort.

Sazanami stood, almost toppling their chess game. "I'll be going now! Have a good day, professors." She bowed and was gone.

"You still want to go out for udon?" Hiroki ventured after hearing his stomach growl. He hadn't eaten his breakfast, and suddenly the bento that Nowaki always made for him was ripped away. He was, if it had to be said, hungry.

"Fine. But you're paying."

"You ate my breakfast!"

"That is neither here nor there."

A book was thrown at his head, and Miyagi frowned. "Geeze, making your date pay for his own meal. What kind of a man are you?" he said as he stood up and reached for his jacket.

"More of a man than you, professor."

"You're gayer than I am."

"I didn't know there was a scale."

Miyagi frowned and picked up a novel from his desk. "I'm not talking to you."

"Promise?"

xxx

He couldn't, in the end. Miyagi was curious by nature, and he had to know the story between Hiroki and Sazanami.

"She was just a friend from college," Hiroki said as he broke apart his chopsticks. "Her and two other guys who went on to teach Japanese somewhere below the university level. Hadn't seen any of them since I started graduate school."

"That's somewhat sad," Miyagi said as he played around with a fishcake in his soup.

"And you have many friends, I'm sure," Hiroki said, rolling his eyes.

Miyagi sat back in his seat, a small smile on his face. "As my ex-wife would say, I'm married to my work."

"What a neglectful spouse."

"We weren't talking about me." Miyagi was almost tempted to pick up his subordinate's habit of throwing things, but the only thing he had was his bowl of udon, and that seemed like an incredible waste. So he just leaned forward, steepling his fingers in front of his face. "So were you two lovers?"

He was rewarded with a spray of vegetable broth as Hiroki tried to compose himself. "N-no," he said. "I mean, there was a time when she was interested in me, but I was already with Nowaki."

"…just how long have you two been together?" Miyagi said, quirking an eyebrow.

Hiroki blushed and started shoving noodles in his mouth to avoid answering that question. He started choking, though, and had to stop to compose himself again.

"I'm going to go with 'a really long time'," Miyagi said, amused.

"Why are you so interested in my relationship with Sazanami, anyway? Don't tell me you're going to go after her. I've seen how violent that brat gets when he's jealous." Hiroki narrowed his eyes as Miyagi's young lover, Takatsuki Shinobu, came into the conversation for the hundredth time that day. It wasn't like Hiroki enjoyed bringing up his boss' love life. It just happened.

"Because we're friends, Kamijou," Miyagi said, leaning forward and staring the other man straight in the eye. "I care about you. And Kusama-san is just as violent when he gets angry." He winced and rubbed his neck where Nowaki had punched him. It had been several months ago by then, but just the memory of it hurt.

Hiroki rolled his eyes. "You don't have to worry about anything, especially me cheating on him."

"If you say so." Miyagi sighed and leaned back. The rest of their lunch was eaten in silence.

**I had way too much fun writing the Hiroki/Miyagi interaction in case you couldn't tell. Just saying.**


	4. Sazanami Has Some Awkward Moments

Chapter 3: Sazanami Has Some Awkward Moments

Sazanami Keiko was not someone to mix business with pleasure. Even though seeing her old friend had brought up long-forgotten feelings, she was determined to continue being an educator. It did help that her students were terrified of her now, just because she had been seen with Hiroki. If the way he interacted with Miyagi was any indication, perhaps the nickname Kamijou the Devil was warranted.

"All right, that's all for today," Sazanami said, closing her lesson plan. Her class had moaned and groaned when they saw they'd have to do work on the first day, but it hadn't lasted long.

It was her last class that day, and instead of going to her own office, she found herself wanting to see Hiroki. The door was closed, and just as she went to knock, she heard voices.

"He'll be back soon."

"I came all the way out here to see you."

"You couldn't at least wait until I got home?"

Sazanami was blushing furiously. She opened the door, though, carefully, and the people in there froze.

Miyagi was pressed against his desk while a younger guy had a hold of his tie. The younger one was small and big-eyed; if he was out of his teens, it probably wasn't by much. When Miyagi saw it was Sazanami, he looked confused over whether he should be relieved or terrified.

"Ah, Sazanami-sensei! This isn't what it looks like!" Miyagi waved his hands around, and the young man had a sour expression on his face.

"I-I'm just looking for Kamijou," she said, spinning around so she didn't have to be under that horrible glare again. "Please excuse me!"

"He has a class right now," Miyagi said. Sazanami nodded and ran for it, leaving the two alone.

So much for Professor Miyagi not being gay.

xxx

Hiroki just wanted to head home after his last class. He had been assigned a senior workshop, and immediately was thrown into discussing theses. He had a headache, a throbbing pain over his right eye, and all he wanted to do was take some painkillers and sleep until Nowaki came home.

A small smile appeared on his face, though, when he saw his lover waiting outside his office. By the time Nowaki noticed him coming, it had been replaced with the usual 'fuck the world' look.

"Don't lurk out in the hall; it makes you seem suspicious," he said.

Nowaki smiled and watched as Hiroki tried to open the office door. "I'm sorry, Hiro-san, but Professor Miyagi locked himself in there after I saw a woman running away."

"Professor, I'm coming in!" Hiroki said as he started digging around in his bag for his own office key. "You have approximately half a minute to make you and that brat presentable."

There was mad scrambling, and by the time Hiroki finally got out his key, unlocked the door, and looked inside, Shinobu had been tossed on the couch and Miyagi was reading a book upside down. Hiroki just shook his head and started putting away the things he wouldn't need at home.

"Smooth as ever." He glanced out in the hall. "Professor, you remember Nowaki."

Miyagi immediately winced and held his neck. It seemed to be an automatic reaction to the man's name at that point. Nowaki, however, smiled amiably and waved.

"Hmph," Miyagi said, putting aside the book he obviously hadn't been reading. "Kamijou-sensei, you remember Shinobu-chin."

Hiroki just shook his head and went on with organizing his desk, and Nowaki ambled in when no one told him he couldn't. That and the fact that Hiroki was right; he was starting to get weird looks as he just stood there outside Hiroki and Miyagi's office.

"I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting," Nowaki said to Shinobu, who had that same sour expression on his face from when Sazanami interrupted them. "I'm Kusama Nowaki. You must be a friend of Miyagi-san."

"Hah!" Hiroki said from his desk, and Miyagi glared at him.

"Who the heck is he supposed to be?" Shinobu said to Miyagi rudely, jamming a thumb at Nowaki.

"Kamijou-sensei's lover, Shinobu-chin." Miyagi glanced at the associate professor over a cup of coffee he picked up from his desk. Hiroki, of course, didn't deny it. "How many years now?"

"Seven." Hiroki was finally done and put together the clasps on his suitcase. "You done at the hospital for the day?" he said, glancing at Nowaki.

"Yes. They have it under control," he said. "Fortunately, no one died in the accident, and most are out of intensive care by now."

Hiroki nodded, trying to make it look like he didn't care. "That's good."

Nowaki couldn't help it. When Hiroki walked up next to him, he leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

Hiroki's face went red, and he immediately pushed the man away. "Stupid, not in public," he hissed as he started out the door.

"Sorry, Hiro-san," he said, but there was a warm smile on his face as he followed the other man.

Once they were out in the hall, Hiroki noticed that it was oddly empty for that time of day. There were a few afternoon classes that got out at that time, so he usually saw students milling around, talking with each other about what they were going to do for dinner. At that time, though, the only person he noticed was Sazanami.

"Have a good day, Sazanami-san," Hiroki muttered, trying to make his way past the woman before she could notice Nowaki behind him. Of course, it was kind of hard not to notice Nowaki, with how much taller he was than virtually anyone.

"This is…" she started to say.

Hiroki wouldn't answer her, so Nowaki did it instead. "Kusama Nowaki. Please to meet you, Sazanami-san!" He managed to finish the last sentence before Hiroki pulled him through the doors of the building and out into the warm, slightly breezy spring day.

The other man glanced in, able to see his old friend through the large windows on the doors. She looked confused, like she was still trying to process what just happened. A few students passed by them, giving them curious looks.

"Good afternoon, Kamijou-sensei, Kusama-san!" the girl Hiroki had talked to when he was helping Sazanami find her classroom said as she entered the building.

"Hiro-san, how does that girl know my name?"

"I don't know!" Hiroki threw his arms up in the air and started storming off.

**As a side note, that girl is Futari Mariko from my one-shot Rumors. She followed Hiroki one day and found out about Nowaki. Yay self-canon.**


	5. Hiroki Reconnects With Old Friends

Chapter 4: Hiroki Reconnects With Old Friends

It was eight o'clock at night when there came a knock at Hiroki and Nowaki's apartment door. Hiroki had been washing the dishes, so Nowaki got up to answer it.

"Oh, you're Sazanami-san," Nowaki said, looking pleasantly surprised. "What brings you here?"

Sazanami blinked, and she slumped a little. "Is this where Kamijou Hiroki lives?"

"Ah, yes," Nowaki said. He stepped aside, all but saying she was welcome to come inside. "Hiro-san! Someone's here to see you!"

Sazanami hesitantly took off her shoes and walked into the kitchen, where she could hear Hiroki talking to himself. And there he was, his hands plunged into dishwater as he scrubbed the pan from their pan-fried noodles that night. He wore a plain blue apron over his formal work clothes, with a pair of large headphones over his ears. _Knowing him, he's probably listening to an audio book_, Sazanami thought.

He seemed to have heard her, though, because he turned her way. When he saw it was Sazanami and not Nowaki, he quickly dried off his hands and reached over to stop his CD player. "How did you know where I live?"

"Professor Miyagi told me," Sazanami said with a faint smile.

"Am I the only one that stops to think that the man is lying most of the time?" he said, rolling his eyes. He signaled towards the table, where only two chairs were set up. They hardly ever had company over, so that was all they needed.

"I'm afraid I don't know him as well as you seem to," Sazanami said. She looked out into the living room, where Nowaki had gone back to flipping through TV channels. Usually he'd glance in at Hiroki, just smiling in his goofy way, but he kept his attention other places since Sazanami was there. "For instance, I thought he was joking when he said you weren't straight."

Hiroki had a sour look on his face as he put the pan in the dish drainer. He was entirely tempted to just thrust it in there, but he knew how Nowaki felt about him abusing their dishes. It wasn't like they had money to buy new ones every time Hiroki broke one in a murderous rage.

"I'm convinced he keeps a file of index cards of everything I do so he can shoot them back at me," he said, reaching for the silverware now. "His favorite one is, 'Remember the library, Kamijou-sensei!'" Hiroki lowered his voice a bit to match his superior's, but his scowl stayed glued to his face.

"The… library?"

The man immediately blushed, images of Nowaki ravishing him among the bookcases flitting through his mind. "Th-that's not important!" he said, surprising Sazanami with how his voice suddenly went up about two octaves. "Was there any particular reason you wanted to see me?"

"Well I-" Sazanami stopped and thought about it, listening to the TV over in the living room. Nowaki was watching some kind of cartoon, one that involved hamsters, it seemed. Hiroki rolled his eyes at the thought as Sazanami continued. "I've been in touch with Nakamura-san and Sakamoto-san. I thought it might be nice for us all to get together, for old time's sake. Kind of like a class reunion. It's been a long time, Kamijou-san."

Of course Hiroki knew how long it'd been since he went out drinking with his college friends. He and Nowaki had gotten together that same year, so it was roughly the same amount of time.

"What the hell are those two idiots doing these days, anyway?" Hiroki said, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Sazanami smiled. "They both teach Japanese at different high schools in the area," she said. "Married with young kids. I thought… we could bring our families for supper, and then go out on our own."

Hiroki shook his head. It all sounded extremely sentimental, and if there was one thing Hiroki was sure of (besides the exact weight and velocity of a fresh piece of chalk) it was that he hated sentimentality. Every year, Nowaki wanted to do something to celebrate their anniversary, and Hiroki would stutter and call him stupid.

_It's not like we're married_, Hiroki thought, glaring down at the silverware he'd forgotten about. He'd said that the last time, just a few months ago, and Nowaki had narrowed his eyes in thought. His lover, however, had refused to say what he was thinking about.

"I'll think about it," he finally said. Even though he called Nakamura and Sakamoto idiots, besides Akihiko, they and Sazanami had been the only ones he'd talk to in college outside of professors. Akihiko sometimes brought Takahiro along, but his friend's feelings for the man had been more than obvious to Hiroki, so it was nothing but awkward.

"Okay." Sazanami smiled and stood up. "Would you like me to leave my phone number, so you can call me? I'm not sure my students can take any more visual proof that I'm friendly with Kamijou the Devil."

Kamijou rolled his eyes, knowing that Sazanami wouldn't stop seeing him at the university. He handed her a notepad from the fridge, one he and Nowaki usually used to write down things they needed to buy next time they went shopping. Nowaki had gotten it himself. The paper was light blue and covered in rubber ducks.

Sazanami couldn't help but smile at it as she quickly scrawled the number for her cell phone. When she looked up, Hiroki had a sour look on his face. "Aw, Kamijou-san, it's cute! Did you get it yourself?"

"He did," Hiroki mumbled, nodding into the living room, where Nowaki was still enraptured by his hamster cartoon.

His friend just kept smiling as she ripped the paper off and handed it to him. She was just about to leave, but then the CD player on the counter caught her eye. "By the way, what were you listening to? I never saw you as much of a music enthusiast."

"Spanish lessons," Hiroki said, closing his eyes and leaning against the counter. "Nowaki's wanted to go abroad for a while now, and we finally decided on Spain. But I can't speak a damn bit of the language."

Sazanami couldn't help it; that made her laugh. "Well, good luck with that. I'll see you tomorrow, Kamijou-san." She walked back through the apartment, nodding to Nowaki as she passed between him and the TV.

When she was gone, Nowaki finally tore his attention away from his cartoon and went in to Hiroki.

"What was that about, Hiro-san?" he asked, hugging him from behind.

"Ah, Sazanami is a friend from college," Hiroki said. "She invited us to go out with her, Sakamoto-san and Nakamura-san sometime."

"What did you say?"

"I'd think about it." Hiroki stuffed the piece of paper with her cell number in a pocket of his apron before going back to the last of the dishes.

"Aw, Hiro-san, I want to go," Nowaki said, pouting against his neck.

"Of course you do."

**There's a very specific reason they're traveling to Spain and if any of you can guess it, you get internet cookies.**


	6. Everyone Gets Some Bad News

Chapter 5: Everyone Gets Some Bad News

Two weeks later, Hiroki had been roped into going out to supper like Sazanami had wanted. Nowaki had made sure that none of his other activities conflicted so he could go, saying he'd like to see Nakamura and Sakamoto again.

"I honestly don't get what you see in those idiots," Hiroki muttered as they sat in their apartment for a couple hours before they had to meet up with everyone else. "They were idiots the only time you met them. Not that that's much different from usual."

Nowaki smiled. He had been cleaning for lack of anything else to do that wouldn't involve Hiroki blowing his top, but then he draped his arms around Hiroki from behind. His lover tensed his shoulders and Nowaki said, "Maybe, but they're Hiro-san's friends. I trust your judgment when it comes to people." When Hiroki didn't reply, Nowaki opened his eyes and noticed he was looking at one of the books he had gotten to learn Spanish. "How are you doing with that?"

"I don't see why we can't just go to America, or Britain," Hiroki muttered, flipping through the pages. He had been staring down at some basic grammar lessons for about five minutes. "I can speak English."

"Spanish isn't that much more complicated, Hiro-san," Nowaki said softly.

"I do have one phrase memorized," Hiroki said.

"What's that?"

"Jodeme." Hiroki started flipping through the book again as casually as he was able to while Nowaki stood there, thinking for a second. Some of his classmates when studying abroad in America were from Spanish-speaking countries, and he picked up the language easily.

When he finally realized what 'jodeme' meant, he actually laughed. "Of course Hiro-san would learn those kinds of things first," he said, leaning down and nuzzling his face in Hiroki's mop of light-brown hair. "You don't have to speak in Spanish the entire time, though." His voice dropped a bit, seductively, and Hiroki shivered.

"Stupid, we have to go out soon," he muttered. He put the book aside, but he wasn't fast enough to get away. Nowaki pulled him into a kiss, slipping his tongue in.

Nowaki smiled, pulling away just enough so he could say something. "Jodeme, Hiro-san."

There was suddenly a knock at their door, though, and Hiroki pulled away, thankful for the distraction. Nowaki looked just a little disappointed, but a smile came over his face when he heard people out in the hall yelling at them.

"Oi, Kamijou-san, open this door!" It was Sakamoto. He was always the louder one, and the one that had teased Hiroki about being 'so cute' after they had heard Nowaki say it. The door wasn't locked, though, and just as Hiroki reached to open it, it flung open, revealing Sakamoto and a frightened-looking woman holding a small child.

They weren't supposed to meet at his apartment; they had all decided to go to Pandasan, the restaurant that he and Nowaki had frequented in the years in their relationship before Nowaki went to America. Nowaki didn't seem to mind Hiroki's old friend barging into the apartment and looking around like he had lost the most important thing in the world.

In fact, when Sakamoto's wife put their daughter down on the floor after a huge amount of wiggling on the child's part, said daughter went straight for Nowaki. He was more than willing to pick her up and toss her up in the air, making her giggle.

"I didn't know you had kids now, Sakamoto-san," Nowaki said, laughter in his voice.

Sakamoto stopped his search of the apartment. He had gone to the bathroom, as if whatever or whoever he was hoping to find would be in there and wouldn't mind him barging in. Then he eyed Hiroki. "I didn't know you were still gay, Kamijou."

"There's not exactly a cure for it, Sakamoto," Hiroki said, rolling his eyes.

Sakamoto's wife looked kind of uncomfortable, though it was probably mostly being in the middle of whatever was going on with her husband. He looked spastic as he continued his search.

"Ah, Sakamoto-san, what's wrong?" Nowaki was the first that thought to actually ask him.

"Sazanami! She was supposed to meet with us an hour ago. I thought she might be hiding here." He looked frustrated when he finally flopped down on the couch. He eyed Nowaki as he played with his daughter but said nothing.

"I'm sure there's a logical explanation," Nowaki said. He put the young girl down, though not without a lot of protest. "Hiro-san often has to stay at his office late. Maybe she's there."

"Now I know who you are!" Sakamoto said, pointing his finger accusingly. "You're that guy Kamijou was going out with seven years ago. The one that wanted to be a social worker."

"He's a doctor now," Hiroki muttered.

"What?" Sakamoto looked confused.

"A doctor!" Hiroki said, louder. "Pediatrician."

"And you've been with him this whole time?"

"That's not important!" Hiroki flailed his arms, startling Sakamoto's wife and daughter. "I have Sazanami's cell number on the fridge. Call it if you're so concerned."

Sakamoto nodded and went into the kitchen to do just that while Hiroki stood there awkwardly. He didn't recognize this woman as one of the many Sakamoto had gone out with in college, and so they didn't really have anything to talk about while their only social connection was busy.

"Nice to meet you," Nowaki said, of course being the first to greet the woman. "I'm Kusama Nowaki. And you are?"

Sakamoto's wife smiled. There wasn't a person on Earth that could resist Nowaki's charms. "Sakamoto Hana. And this is my daughter, Etsuko."

"Etsuko-chan wants up," Etusko whined, standing up and holding her arms up. Nowaki smiled and complied, tossing her up in the air again. She had to be around three, but she was still small enough for things like that. At least for someone as strong as Nowaki.

Sakamoto finally emerged from the kitchen, looking somewhat pale.

"What's the matter?" Hana asked, turning away from watching Nowaki and Etsuko.

"Someone else from the university answered," he said. "Sazanami apparently collapsed earlier, and they brought her to Mitsuhashi Hospital."

Nowaki stopped at that, looking wide-eyed as he put Etsuko down. The young girl didn't seem to understand why the adults were looking so shocked.

"Well," Sakamoto said when it was clear what their next move was going to be. "So much for dinner."

**Quick Spanish lesson: 'joder', in Spain (because Spanish has dialects just like English), means 'to fuck.' 'Me' is the direct and indirect object pronoun version of 'yo', which means 'I' or 'me.' So jodeme essentially means 'fuck me.' These men are horrible influences, all of them.**


	7. Sazanami Apologizes

Chapter 6: Sazanami Apologizes

The hospital wasn't incredibly busy when they got in. Nowaki immediately took charge, since he'd spent two years patrolling the halls and knew where everything was. He just had to ask what room Sazanami Keiko was in and he was off.

"Your boyfriend is efficient, Kamijou," Sakamoto said, staring at the back of Nowaki's head.

"He works here," Hiroki said. When Sakamoto looked surprised, Hiroki rolled his eyes. "I told you he's a doctor."

Sakamoto looked like he was dying to say something, but he wasn't able to. Nowaki stopped. Apparently, they were at the right room. Nowaki hung back, looking kind of awkward. The door was open, and they could see an empty bed and a current pulled around the one by the window.

Hiroki hung back as well. He could hear Sazanami's voice, and the voice of what sounded like an older woman. If he had to take his guess, it would probably be Sazanami's mother. He had met the woman a few times, since Sazanami had lived with her parents for a good part of college. He wasn't sure if she would recognize him or not, but he still let Sakamoto take the lead.

The older woman smiled when she saw the two men, though. Sazanami herself was awake, though her face was pale and her breathing was somewhat uneven. At least they didn't have her hooked-up to any IVs.

"Sorry about dinner, guys," she said, looking sheepish.

Hiroki rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "The important thing is that you're okay. Dinner can wait."

"Oh Keiko-chan," Sazanami's mother said, and she stood up and went over to her daughter. She put one slightly wrinkly hand on the woman's forehead. "I've told you not to push yourself so hard, and what do you do? Exactly that."

"What happened?" Sakamoto asked. Hiroki was too busy noticing that Sakamoto's family and Nowaki were carefully slipping into the room. They all squished-in around Sazanami's bed. Nowaki had Etsuko in his arms, and the girl looked absolutely thrilled to be there.

"Oh, you know how she is," Sazanami's mother said, waving her hand in a dismissive way. "Always pushing herself so hard. You know she worked nights during grad school, saying she refused to let her parents help pay? And then she took every job she could until she was hired at M. She's worked herself ragged for so many years I'm surprised this hasn't happened before."

Sazanami looked sheepish, and she ducked her head. It didn't look like this particular subject was one she wanted to talk about.

"At any rate," her mother continued. "The doctors say she'll be fine; she was just exhausted. But she needs to take it easy for at least a week." And then she cut a hard look at her daughter, and any protests she might have had died before they could even be properly formed.

And then she seemed to notice the other people in the room.

"Oh, Dr. Kusama!" she said, and she pushed her way over to Nowaki. "What are you doing in here? I thought you worked in pediatrics."

"I'm here to visit," he said with a smile. Etsuko started struggling and whining, reaching her arms over to her mother, so Nowaki let her go.

"How do you-" Hiroki started, but Sazanami's mother cut him off.

"Keiko-chan's sister had kids a few years ago, and I've gone in with them once or twice when they've been sick. Dr. Kusama was very helpful." She smiled up at the man. Nowaki looked slightly embarrassed at that, not used to accepting compliments from people he hardly knew. "So what brings you here?"

Nowaki glanced over at Hiroki, who just turned away and looked at Sazanami, who was staring out the window. "I came here with Hiro-san and Sakamoto-san."

"Oh, are you another friend from college?" Sazanami's mother asked, completely oblivious.

Sakamoto snorted and started laughing, hard. Sazanami's mother looked startled. "Well he was around during college but…" Sazanami's mother tilted her head. Sakamoto shook his own and picked up his daughter. "I'll let you explain it, Kamijou. Etsuko needs to use the bathroom."

"No I don't!" the young girl protested, but her father was having none of that. Hana followed them both, not sure what else to do with herself.

Hiroki cleared his throat. "Ah, Sazanami-san," he said. Both women looked at him, since he called them both that. He hadn't spent enough time around Sazanami's mother to be told or decide otherwise. "The younger one. I'm glad you're okay."

"Hah, me too," Sazanami said. She looked like she was trying to get comfortable in her bed, but the mattress was thin and so was the pillow. It definitely wasn't made for laying in long-term. "Mama's right. I worked myself ragged. I didn't even plan to go back to school, and after I graduated, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. And then I was told that you were working at M University."

Sazanami's mother cut eyes at him. It seemed she knew her daughter's motivations and was looking for his reaction. All Hiroki could do was stare down at the floor.

"I guess I had some silly idea that you weren't married yet," she continued with a smile. She stared up at the ceiling. "God, I'm stupid."

"Oh dear, no you're not!" her mother said, petting her hair. It was an oddly affectionate move towards a child that was almost thirty. "He's not, is he?"

"Mama, he's gay," Sazanami said, nodding towards Nowaki. "Those two have been living together for years and I wasn't aware of it!"

Sazanami's mother stopped at that, resting her hand on the top of her daughter's head. Then she sighed in a resigned sort of way and mumbled about being out in the hall. Nowaki followed her lead, leaving the two old friends alone.

Hiroki folded his arms and looked annoyed. "It's not like I would've told you," he muttered, his eyes darting all around the room, looking everywhere but Sazanami's face. "Most people don't know. I tend to keep work and my personal life separate."

Sazanami nodded, a sad smile on her face. "I'm sorry if I caused you trouble," she said. "Getting a job at M just to be around you. It seems childish, in retrospect."

Hiroki glanced out into the hall, where Nowaki was making faces at Etsuko as she giggled uproariously. He snorted. "Nah," he said. "A job is a job. I won't… hold it against you or anything."

Sazanami sighed in relief, and then she went to staring up at the ceiling. "Um so…" She stopped, looking like she was trying to pick her words very carefully. "Mama's probably going to ask you to set me up now. She thinks twenty-nine is too old to be single."

Hiroki paused for a second. "I don't think I could do that."

"Why not?" Sazanami looked surprised, seeming like she had taken Hiroki's statement to have some kind of cruelty in it.

"…I don't think I have any straight friends," Hiroki admitted, his face going completely red.

"Akihiko?"

"Nope."

"What about Professor Miyagi?"

"Doubt it."

Sazanami sighed and laid back again. "You are something else, Kamijou Hiroki."

**Sorry this chapter took longer to get out. Being a college student is hard D:**


	8. Hiroki Is In For A Surprise

Chapter 7: Hiroki is in for a Surprise

Hiroki felt weird one day, two weeks after Sazanami went to the hospital. If he had to pinpoint it, it probably started that morning. Nowaki had the day off and hadn't said a thing about having lunch together. He just smiled as Hiroki ran through the apartment, swearing at him for not waking him up. He even gave Hiroki a breakfast shake instead of insisting he sit down.

He was concerned, not that he'd say it out loud. The only person he had to talk to was Miyagi, and there was no way he'd tell him such a thing.

"You look troubled, Kamijou-sensei." Miyagi grinned over his steaming coffee cup. Even he seemed different that morning, though. He hadn't done his usual dramatic greeting, opting for going straight to his desk and turning on his computer. Hiroki didn't put much stock in it. Whatever was up with Nowaki more-than-likely had little to nothing to do with Miyagi. They weren't exactly best friends, after all.

Hiroki considered talking to Sazanami, but then he remembered she had a class right then. So did he, in a few minutes. He eyed his breakfast shake reproachfully before tossing it in the trash. He didn't have an appetite anymore.

"Kamijou-sensei!" Futari Mariko waved as she ran down the hall. "Don't you have a class? You should get there!" She actually took his arm and managed to drag him a few meters down the hall before Hiroki took his arm back.

"Futari-san, I have plenty of time," he said. Futari glanced to the office when the door slammed. Hiroki did as well, but Miyagi wasn't in the hall.

The younger girl bowed and said something about class before escaping down the hall. Hiroki's fingers itched to throw something at her, but he got a look at his watch and sighed. He had an in-class essay to administer and probably more than a few dreams to crush.

With five minutes left in class, Hiroki's phone vibrated. The room was absolutely silent, so some of his students looked up, curious. Hiroki ignored them, flipping his phone open. He hoped, if only in the back of his mind, that it was Nowaki, but it wasn't.

_Kamijou-san- please meet me at your office when your class is over.- Sazanami_

Hiroki sighed and sat back, unable to hide the look of disappointment on his face. His students who were done with the essay but too afraid to see if they could leave early became even more curious. They weren't used to seeing him express anything but violent rage.

After two more minutes, Hiroki sighed again and stood up. He'd see what Sazanami wanted and call Nowaki about lunch. He had his pride, but he was more willing to give-in to Nowaki than let his students see him like that the rest of the day.

"Hand in your papers and get out of here." He vaguely waved between his desk and the door. The students stampeded through, more than willing to have a few minutes less to deal with Kamijou the Devil. Hiroki was left with a mess of papers he had to organize before he could leave the lecture hall.

He passed Futari in the hall. She was walking with a friend of hers, and when he caught her eye, she giggled and ducked her head to talk with her friend. Hiroki thought he heard something she was saying, but he shook his head and put it out of his mind.

Miyagi had a lecture starting about halfway through Hiroki's, so he was gone. Despite that, though, Sazanami was not waiting outside the office. He jiggled the doorknob just to check, and it was indeed locked. Then he sighed, scowled, and unlocked the door, not even bothering to close it behind him. If she was going to run late, why was she even bothering to call him out?

He was just reaching for his phone to call Nowaki when he noticed something on his keyboard. It was small and suspiciously box-shaped, with black velvet around it. He picked it up between his thumb and pointer finger as if expecting it to be toxic. When he didn't drop dead, he used his other hand to carefully open the box. In it sat a silver ring with blue jewels nestled into it, and, upon closer inspection, an inscription on the inside of the band: _Love, Nowaki_.

The door suddenly closed behind him, and before he turned to look at it, he heard two people giggling. Right off the bat he knew that it was Sazanami and Futari. When he turned, Nowaki was standing there, a shy smile on his face. He had a feeling he knew what Nowaki was going to say, but he just stood there, letting his lover say it.

"I… was hoping, Hiro-san, that we could marry when we go to Spain," he said. He looked pleased that Hiroki hadn't flung the ring and its box at him. "I looked into it! It's legal there, and Japan will recognize same-sex ceremonies performed in other countries."

Despite the fact that Hiroki knew Nowaki was going to say it, he still just stood there, dumbfounded. Nowaki walked up to him, and Hiroki let him take the ring and put it on his left ring finger. "Hiro-san?"

"I still don't speak Spanish," he muttered, looking put-out. Nowaki couldn't help but smile. "I guess I'll have to study harder." At those words, he found himself swept up in Nowaki's arms and in a deep kiss. The door slowly creaked open, and when Hiroki had gained his senses back enough, he saw that Futari and Sazanami were there, watching them.

"Oi, get out of here!" he yelled, grabbing a book from his desk and flinging it at them. They closed the door just in time to not get hit and ran down the hall before they could incur anymore of his wrath. Hiroki knew they'd be back. They wouldn't be able to spy on them very effectively, though, because Nowaki reached behind him and pressed the inside lock on the door.

Hiroki didn't really mind, though he hoped upon hope that Miyagi didn't come back and catch them. The last thing the older man needed on them was more ammo.

**I was going to end it here, but I decided one more chapter was due, to tie things up with Sazanami and Hiroki's other friends. Also yes, this took a while to get out. I'm horrible D: Next chapter won't, I promise! Until then.**


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